Chapter 12

Dean looked to see Sam standing there but the posture and the look was not an expression that he would get. It was the look of someone anticipating a challenge in the form of dishing out a good ass kicking. He knew who it was. "Angie?"

Sam's eyes looked at Dean but they had a different look to them. It was that look Angela gave when she was in the mood for a fight. It certainly was Angela when Sam's body took off and leapt onto one of the ropes and started climbing.

Dean couldn't help but be impressed. Hell he was sure that if Angela were watching Sam, she would be drooling over the use of his arms and upper body strength. He was astute to know that Angela probably wasn't at that point to openly drool over Sam but he would have to make a point of asking her how she felt about riding his ass. The very idea was amusing.

Meanwhile Sam/Angela made their way up the ropes and caught up with Vera. Dean watched as Sam pulled on Vera's leg and tugged hard. It was terrifying when Vera kicked at Sam and clipped his head but Sam held on and grabbed the bitch's ankle when she tried again and pulled hard and made her lose her grip.

Vera was pissed but she relished the thought of fighting the Champion. Now she would get to see him fight. She regained her grip on her set of ropes and wriggled to get her leg free. She brought her free leg up and slammed it into the man's shoulder. The momentum made him let go and he swung. When he swung back towards her, she was ready with her fist. She started punching.

Sam reacted and blocked the blows that came with his forearm. When the bitch tried to kick, he used his leg to block. It was a bit of a dance since they were blocking each other until Vera gave him a good one in the chest. It caused him to lose his grip and he fell back.

"Sam!"

Dean's shout seemed pointless but it was enough. Sam gripped a nearby rope and stopped his fall. His arm jerked when his weight went with the flow of gravity and it looked like he jerked it out of the socket. However Sam only had eyes for the bitch heading towards the lock with the key. He grinned as he climbed and started swinging to reach out and climb closer to Vera.

"Did Sam train or something?" Jo asked as she watched.

"That's not Sam, Jo. That's Angie," Dean replied. It was confirmed when Sam gave a cry that sounded weird since it was the masculine version of Angela's war cry. He watched as Sam did moves that he knew his brother wouldn't and probably couldn't do. "Oh yeah that's Angie and she's pissed."

Jo studied Sam's movements. She had to agree with Dean that it was Angela in Sam's body. That look on Sam's face reminded her a little too much of when he had been possessed by the demon but this time there was more warmth in that look. It was the look of someone that was in for the fight and for someone else other than themself. It was Angela all over in Jo's mind. It was just weird seeing Sam do the same things she did.

Vera started to realize that she was getting her money's worth in terms of the fight. She saw that Sam wasn't going to give up on stopping her. She got drastic and played dirty. She was able to knock him back and climb up the rest of the way. She pulled out the seal and looked at it. "The key to the phoenix," she said with a smile of awe as she looked at the seal and the lock.

Sam was a bit stunned from that last blow. It was enough to make him slide down a few feet. He shook his head to clear it before looking around to see where he was. He looked up just as Vera stuck the key into the lock. His eyes narrowed and he started pulling himself up. He caught up with Vera as the vault opened and revealed a flower and on the stem was a piece of fruit that was starting to drop. That was what he was after.

Vera started to reach out for the fruit when she felt something grab and tug her down. She felt her hands slip on the rope and she slid down. Her hands burned as she slid down until she was face to face with Sam. She narrowed her eyes and said, "You are a thorn in my side you so called Champion. This ends now. I will have my phoenix."

Sam didn't say anything. Instead he gave a smile. It was a slow one that revealed he was not going to back down. He was ready for the punch that was aimed at his face and blocked by doing a side move to counter with a shoulder blow. When he pulled back he was able to strike with a backhand and stun Vera.

Vera growled in anger and retaliated with her best move. It was a palm strike to the chest and she hit hard. She heard a crack from the strike and she knew she cracked a few ribs but she was stunned that it didn't seem to faze the giant of a man. "What are you?" She demanded in a near shout and glared at Sam.

Sam didn't respond but hung there staring at Vera. It was disconcerting to Dean to see his brother doing what Angela would do. She did that in sparring; that remain still and staring act. It bothered her opponent to the point to make them attack and they got a surprise. He was used to seeing his brother make small movements even when they got into a stare off. This was a whole new world and he was just watching like a stupid looky loo.

Vera was getting angry that Sam was just hanging there and looking at her. She had to get the fruit which was starting to fall from its weight. There were other flowers but it took a long time to grow the fruit which was the source. The others were too small. She was going to end this once and for all. She would send the so called Champion to his death. "Won't you say anything? Do something!"

Sam just hung there. His body was swinging as was the nature of ropes and the whole pendulum thing but every muscle was still. He could have been a statue as he continued to stare at Vera. He still had that slow smile that he plastered on his face.

Vera was fed up and she growled in frustration. She could have reached out with a punch and end it there but she wanted to make it a good show in terms of killing him. Using her body, she swung herself back and used the wall to push off to give herself enough force and momentum to take out Sam. She cried out as she swung towards Sam.

Dean couldn't help but shout at his brother when he noticed the knife slide out. The bitch was going to knife Sam! "Watch out Sam!"

At the last moment, Sam released his grip and rappelled down the rope he was on. The knife missed him completely. Vera couldn't slow her momentum and ended up getting tangled in Sam's rope. Sam reacted and reached out for another to get out of the way and started climbing up a little while Vera struggled to get free but ended up tangling herself up more. She still had her knife when Sam came up to the same level as she was just in time to catch the fruit that started to fall.

"No!" Vera shouted and struggled while watching Sam catch the fruit. She swung out wildly with her knife trying to cut him.

Still holding onto the fruit, Sam saw Vera and pushed off from the wall he was nearby and let Vera crash into the wall. It was enough to make her lose her grip entirely and she fell. Sam looked down and watched as Vera became impaled on the spikes at the bottom and the flames burst to reveal them and Vera's dead body and others who failed.

Tucking the fruit into his jacket pocket, Sam climbed up the rest of the way to where the key was. He reached over and turned the lock and pulled out the key. He glanced up only once as the vault above started to close. He then started rappelling down not noticing that a small version of the fruit fell out just as the vault sealed shut. He just got back down and was back on solid ground and nearly toppled over once his feet touched.

Dean saw that Sam was about to fall backwards and grabbed his freakishly huge brother and pulled him towards him to prevent him from getting skewered like that Vera bitch. "Whoa there Sasquatch. We don't need you as shish kabob."

Sam took a moment and blinked in confusion. When it registered what Dean said, he replied, "I'm fine Dean."

Dean frowned at Sam. It looked like his brother had spaced out during his possession. That was typical at times. Victims often lost huge chunks of time or they could only view like through a lens. He wondered if Angela was up to protecting herself again by making Sam forget. "Are you sure?"

Sam threw a grade AA bitch face at Dean, "I'm fine. Let's get to Angie."

Dean and Jo couldn't tell if he had been able to get the fruit. The angle he had been in had hidden his act. They were able to see Vera and they saw her fall. Dean asked, "So you have it?"

Sam reached in his jacket pocket slowly and pulled out the fruit. It looked roughly like a tiny pomegranate. He could hold it between his first finger and thumb. It was what could bring her back. "Right here."

All three of them breathed a sigh of relief that they had the last piece. Nick slowly reached out and gently took it from Sam after shooting him a look that said he wasn't going to do anything and he was doing his job. Nick led the way out of the passage to the main part of the temple where Grace, Bobby and Augusta were waiting with the body. The other members of the order were hover and watching wide eyed at the scene.

Nick was well aware that all eyes were on him since he was the only one with the healer ability. It was a first in a long time that this many people were interested in him as a healer and not some warlock to be pitted against another and all that jazz. He looked at the fruit and wondered what it was about it that he was supposed to do to make it all work. In his mind he could have just popped it into her mouth and that would have been the end of it; hell anyone could have done that. Why me? That was the question he wanted answered the most.

Nick turned to look at a wall to think and studied the glyphs. His ability to read them laid out for him exactly what he was to do. So that's what she meant. A healer is needed because only a healer can read the script.

It didn't take long for Nick to do what was needed. It was a simple herb mixture but of the herbs that were there on the table near the wall with the script. When he was finished, he rolled the phoenix fruit in the mixture and pulled it out using his thumb and forefinger like a pair of tweezers. He walked over to the body and giving a slight breath and a frown, he popped it into Angela's mouth. He had no idea how it would work since she couldn't chew it. He didn't even know if he was supposed to help her chew it.

It vaguely occurred to Nick to help her swallow it. With his finger, he eased the lump into her throat and down the hatch. He knew that it looked intimate and was surprised that Sam hadn't jumped him the moment he did that. When he stood back to wait and see what would happen, he saw that Sam's eyes were on the casket as if willing the body to move with his mind.

It seemed like forever until a small twitch occurred in Angela's eyelids. Then they slowly opened to reveal the familiar pair of tawny eyes. The next thing that came out was, "Dean you better not say anything about being a Sleeping Beauty or I'll kick your ass." That was followed by gasps and chuckles.

"So you're all in there right Angie?"

Angela looked up from her cleaning of Absolution at Jo as the girl sat beside her. She smiled, "It's me Jo. I won't be doing that any time soon."

"I'll bet. Mom's going to run me a new one for all the trouble you've caused," Jo teased.

"She will but she is proud of you just like I am," Angela replied smiling still. "I am sorry that I put you through that Jo but I owe you my life and thank you."

"Hey you don't owe me. We're like sisters," Jo countered. "It was interesting having you talk in my head. Taking over was different and I don't want to experience that again anytime soon."

"I wouldn't blame you." Angela chuckled slightly. "So you heading back to the Roadhouse?"

"Yeah. I can help Mom out and she always has cases and stuff. You should come by and maybe we'll have a girl's night out hunting," Jo replied as she stood up. "It could be fun."

Angela stood up and replied, "I think I'll do that but first things first."

Jo grinned mischievously, "Oh I get it." She glanced over at where Sam and Dean were talking to Bobby about something or other. "Tell Sam I said hi."

"I'll pretend you didn't say anything." Angela blushed slightly as she smiled unable to hide it. There was always going to be someone who would be able to read her like an open book. She pulled Jo into a hug, "Take care of yourself, Jo."

Jo returned the hug and replied, "Same to you, bitch. Don't be a stranger with the calls." She turned and headed towards Rusty the truck. She had already said her good byes to everyone else. Maybe some time at the Roadhouse would be a good break and she did have a story to tell her mom and she could just hear her voice as she drove away.

Angela watched as Jo drove off before saying, "I suppose you're taking off too Nick?"

Nick stepped out of the shadows, "I'm not going to ask about how you knew it was me but to answer your question, yes. I'm still trying to get used to doing good like you do." He looked down into Angela's tawny eyes and studied her face. "You know I thought you really were gone when Jo told me. It was painful." He gently touched her cheek and slowly did it since he had heard how she was about people touching her.

Angela let Nick touch her and could see that he cared deeply for her and felt bad because she couldn't return the same care. She cared for him as a friend but her heart belonged to Sam even if she was being a stubborn ass about saying anything. "And you brought me back. For that I thank you. You are a good friend Nick and it's not because we are fellow healers but because what's inside that heart of yours is good. Your dumbass father and dick brothers can just stick it where the sun doesn't shine."

Nick smiled as he lowered his hand and gave a slight chuckle. "Leave it to you to find out about me. Thanks for not lumping me in with them." He looked at nothing in particular and sighed, "Well I better be going. Lots of people to save. I might even think about doing what your friend Doc Whittier does. Good bye princess." He gave a kiss to her cheek and headed to where his motorcycle was and took off. Before leaving he glanced at his rearview mirror and took one last look at her. He was hopeless in one realm but he could live with it. He headed off.

Angela gave a slight wave. She picked up her sword and put it back into its sheath. She hadn't changed out of her clothes since being brought back deciding that she was comfortable for now and if you stopped to think about it, she looked almost like a badass biker chick except without all the denim. She looked at the coat that was on the log she had been sitting on and gave a wry smile. She had to hand it to Augie for her jokes. She put it on and picked up Absolution.

The coat was a leather duster that went with her clothes. She thought she looked like one of those brooding characters from a video game or something out of the Wild West. All Augie did though was return what was hers. It was the coat that she had worn when she first met the order. She had given it to Augusta when she moved on as a gift from master to student. Now she had it back and it did exemplify that adage about feeling like a well-worn coat. She grinned as she walked over to where her boys were with Bobby and Cerebus.

Dean spotted her first and asked, "You ready to hit the road Angie?"

"Ready now," Angela replied as she walked up. She gave a warning finger to Dean about joking about her coat. She then turned to Bobby and said, "Well old man, are you going to scold me?"

Bobby grizzled, "I already did ya idjit. Don't do that again or I'll bring ya back myself so I can kill ya again."

Angela gave a wide grin and replied, "You love me old fart but I will keep that in mind." She then petted Cerebus and said, "You were good boy. Think you can watch out for this old man who played one and knick knack on my thumb?"

"I don't need a baby sitter cheeky little…," Bobby grumbled as Cerebus gave a slight bark and licked her hand. He hid his grumbling under giving the hell mutt a ruffle of his fur. He then grumbled his good byes and he and the mutt took off for the Chevelle for the drive back to the Salvage Yard.

"You really know how to lay it on don't ya Angie," Dean commented as they turned to head towards the Impala.

"We had a good time during those three months," Angela replied. "Still thinks he can play the elder card on me but I am his stray that decided to stay."

"That reminds me." Dean dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out the evidence bag with her watch. Using his knife, he cut the bag and pulled it out and handed it to her. "Still not broken. A sign maybe?"

Angela studied it. She smiled as she put it back on just below her gauntlet on her wrist. "Maybe so. Now I don't feel so naked." She grinned at Dean.

Dean for his part didn't want to get too much into a chick flick moment but he accepted the hair ruffle that she gave him as thanks. He glanced at Sam who was a bit silent. He correctly interpreted it as something his brother wanted to do in private so he looked for a means to escape. It was his luck that he spotted Augusta and made a comment about saying good bye or something and took off leaving them alone.

Angela watched with amusement and said, "I think Dean's taken with Augie."

"She was a big help," Sam allowed. He had seen the display of affection Nick gave earlier and successfully thwarted the urge to walk over and give the guy a punch. Instead he focused on the conversation he was having with her. "Angie, I know I apologized…"

"You don't need to keep doing it Sam. I forgive you and I've accepted that I screwed up. We're only human after all," Angela replied smiling at him.

Sam couldn't help but smile. At least she included herself in that group. He put his hand in his jacket pocket and felt the necklace he kept. He closed his fist around it and pulled it out. He mumbled slightly and handed it to her, "I held onto this." He took Absolution to hold while she put it on.

"Thanks," Angela replied. It was the first thing she had noticed missing when she woke up. Her hand had automatically gone towards where it should be and found it missing. She quelled the panic at the thought of losing it but didn't say anything. Now she had it back she let her relief show unaware that Sam was seeing the whole thing as she put it back on. "Now everything is as it should be."

Sam gave a slight smile and then said, "You know when you were in me, I think I understood you a bit better. Having you in there was warm and…"

"Sam it was a battle," Angela replied. She gave a slight frown at where this was going. True she was excited for battle but she felt compelled to latch onto Sam though she could have just as easily done it with Dean. Part of it was because of how she felt about him.

"Yeah I know you get a little excited when you get to kick someone's ass but it was more than that. It's hard to describe but that warm feeling… I can understand now that it is just you trying to do what you do best and that is helping people," Sam replied, "I guess I felt your driving force."

"I do things for others because a small act of kindness can move mountains. It never mattered much how I got little to nothing physical out of it but the feeling of a job well done was the reward," Angela replied.

"And that's you. Don't ever change," Sam replied. He handed Absolution back to Angela. "So what was it like inside my head?" He gave a slight smile.

Angela gave a teasing grin. She had been in his head and she wasn't surprised by it. She decided to have some fun. She needed some before she got back to her unfinished business with her special project and a certain demon that pissed her off without even trying. "Scary."

That started a chase towards the Impala and Dean joined them shortly afterwards. The Impala took off down the road leaving behind the settlement and the order. Little did they know that they were being watched by an interested observer who had been following them for some time since Monument and he rubbed his chin in a thoughtful manner.

The passage to the vault was dark but the bursts of flame continued. The figure continued to walk down the passage though, not perturbed by the fact that the main chamber was lined with spikes. It was most definitely the most decorative and best room in the entire place. It would be something to impress the master of torture in the pit.

The figure made it to the vault chamber and looked down and saw the body of the woman that had fallen. The figure turned their head sideways in an inquisitive manner. Slowly it smiled as the woman started to move and watched as a hand inched its way close towards a tiny piece of the famous phoenix fruit. It was impressed and figured that maybe the plan would work out after all.

There had been a chance to kill Sam Winchester several times while in the settlement. It was amusing and sickening to watch him pine away for Absolution and tempting to put him out of his misery but then what good would that accomplish? Better to have Absolution watch since it was much more amusing to make a messenger break like before. Never mind the fact that the spirit realm was shaken to its core the last time. It would only make for a stronger and better opponent for when the time came and it would come.

The figure turned its attention towards the woman as she moaned. The bitch was stronger than previously thought to be. Then again it took strong will or a strong emotion to keep someone going like that in spite of a mortal wound. Perhaps this woman would have its use. The figure jumped down into the pit and avoided the spikes as it walked over towards the woman. It looked at her and picked up the fruit. "Is this what you want?"

The woman gurgled in reply, "It's mine."

"Of course it is. That thing hurts doesn't it. It's always a bitch to be stabbed in the stomach," the figure taunted in a careful sing song voice.

"Give it back."

The figure laughed a tinkling laugh. This one would do nicely. The figure kneeled and replied, "I will give it to you. However you still have the problem of that." It pointed at the spike that skewered the woman.

"Give me my phoenix."

"I will and I will give you the means of getting revenge. I know that you crave his blood just as I do. I give you this and you will swear to help me."

"Swear to do what?"

"You will help me kill Sam Winchester my little phoenix."

A/N: Angie is alive and well and she and Sam made up though will she really tell how it was like in Sam's head? Maybe we'll never know but I do know we have a cliff hanger ending about Vera and who is it that wants her to kill Sam Winchester? Stay tuned for the next thrilling episode in 2.13 Fire and Femme Fatale... Oh My...